


Mirrors

by ThetenthtenbeingofTen



Series: Thorny Dawn Universe [5]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Attempted Sexual Assault, BDSM-Club, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 22:31:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14318454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThetenthtenbeingofTen/pseuds/ThetenthtenbeingofTen
Summary: The Thorny Dawn is a special place... with special people... and special situations.





	Mirrors

The _Thorny Dawn_ sure had a lot going for it. First of all, the obvious: it’s a LGBTQ+ tolerant club, with private rooms. It had accommodations for all sorts of things. Dancing and drinking? Yup. Relaxing with friends? Sure. Privacy with a lover? Yes. Kinky exploration? Hell yeah.

Most people who found their way into the club came to meet like minded people, make new friends or find a partner for the evening.  
What many didn’t anticipate, was the amount of couples that came here on a regular basis. Many interesting people, no question. But most were taken.

So no matter how eager a guest was when he first entered, he often found himself alone at the bar counter.

This is where the second, less well known feature of intrigue came into play.

A little over five years after it first opened its doors the Thorny Dawn had gained two valuable assets: its two barkeepers.  
Their service has earned the club most of its income, and drawn in many loyal guests.

Sure, they looked hella sharp in their uniforms – their white shirts catching the warm light in a way that made them stand out from the darkness – broad shoulders and slim waists. They were eye-candy, no question.  
Many guests had a weakness for men in uniforms, and the idea of being served by one of those two was a damn good reason to linger at the bar counter.

  
  


Those who did linger long enough for their eyes to get used to the faint illumination of the area would then uncover the secret of those two barmen.

They are twins.  
Absolutely identical.

Among those who had realized it, many in turn spent their evening trying to discern a difference between them. Only a few patrons ever learned to tell them apart.  
Andy – the manager – had initially suggested to give them name-tags or something of that kind to help tell them apart from a distance, but they refused.  
It’s part of the game, they had said, understanding their combined allure very well. Andy hadn’t been able to argue against that, so that suggestion was quickly forgotten.

To tell the truth, at first it had irked some of their coworkers, that they couldn’t tell them apart, so whenever they wanted to talk to either of them, they’d have no way of finding out whom they were facing other than asking; every time.  
After a while though, they simply accepted the twins as a unit, rather than two individuals, and from that point onward, many things became easier.

The twins didn’t mind. In fact, they preferred to be addressed as a pair. Over time, a certain routine formed between them and the others that further facilitated their playful secrecy.  
Each one of them typically served the same people; rarely did one brother take the other’s customer. That way it took the newer guests a while to even realize that a game was being played.

 

Today even more patrons than usual swarmed the counter.  
Something had changed.

Ronald, one of the few straight guests, crossed his arms as he leaned on the counter.  
“What a pity”, he muttered, when one of the barkeepers turned towards him. The man raised an eyebrow.  
Ronald smiled and raised his hand, gesturing his own hair.  
“I liked you both with long hair”, he said and sighed.

“The usual?”, the barkeeper asked, ignoring the remark outwardly. But Ronald knew better. The man had given him the faintest smirk.  
“You know it”, he said in agreement and slid his card towards the server.

A newcomer made his way to the counter next to Ronald and looked around.  
“Is it always this packed?”, he asked Ronald.  
The mature patron shook his head.  
“Not always”, he replied.  
The newcomer held out his hand.  
“I’m Jeremy”, he told Ronald.  
“Ronald. Nice to meet you.”  
Jeremy gave Ronald a wide and toothy smile.

“There you go”, the barkeeper announced as he placed the tall beer glass on the counter in front of Ronald.  
“Thanks”, Ronald said, taking his card back from the server.  
Jeremy looked at the man.  
“What’s your specialty?”, he asked, when the barkeeper turned to face him.  
“Lots of things”, he answered with a smirk and slid a menu over the wooden counter for Jeremy to look at.

 

Mihail had finally gotten a seat on a bar stool at the counter and sighed deeply.  
“Hey man”, one of the twins said and slid a glass of coke towards him. Mihail looked up into the familiar face of his coworker and smiled.  
“Thanks… Mark?”, he guessed. The barkeeper nodded.  
“Yes”, he confirmed before turning to check the counter for new customers.  
Mihail took a long sip from his coke.  
“Remind Luca and me to never change our hairstyles again”, the barkeeper sighed. He busied himself with cleaning glasses and chalices.  
Mihail laughed lowly.  
“Suits you though. You look more mature and strong like this”, he murmured and ran a hand through his own long magenta hair.  
“Thank you”, the server said with a sigh. He then gave Mihail a quick wave and went into the back room, which served as a simple kitchen. He placed the freshly fried potato wedges on a plate and added two sausages next to them.

The Thorny Dawn didn’t offer much food, but a few fast food options were available on the weekends.  
One of these dishes was brought to a table now, where it had been eagerly awaited. Ben smiled gratefully.  
“Thank you, Markus”, he said and took back his card from him. Markus nodded once and went back behind the counter.

He was greeted wordlessly by his brother with a quick smile. Their hands met for less than a second. But they didn’t need more than that.  
Not now.

Jeremy watched the interaction between those two barkeepers and sipped his _Princess Z_ , one of the unique drinks of the Thorny Dawn. It had been invented by one of Andy’s friends and was thus named after her.  
It was an exotic rum-based drink with a creamy texture and crushed hazelnuts, almonds and coconut at the bottom.

A girl with platinum hair managed to push her way through to the counter and waited to be noticed. Jeremy checked her out, but turned his attention elsewhere soon.  
She wasn’t his type.

The girl’s name was Vickie.  
She pressed her breasts against the counter, hoping to attract one of the barkeepers this way, when somebody slid up behind her.  
She payed it no mind, figuring it was just so packed at the counter, the guy probably was just trying to place an order himself.

She fiddled with the golden ring attached to her black collar and sighed.

Suddenly, a hand touched her.  
It slid down her waist, reaching the hem of her shirt and slipping under it.  
She tried to push back against the person behind her, but he had effectively trapped her against the counter with the width of his body.  
“Stop it”, she hissed, not wanting to draw this kind of attention to herself. People would think she was a pansy if she threw a tantrum now.  
“Don’t be like that”, the man purred and nosed her nape, while his hand sneaked into her panties. She tried to wiggle away, but he wouldn’t let her.  
“Please, stop”, she tried again, but he didn’t even react, reaching around her with his other hand now.  
She was trapped.

She started to panic when he started to push his arousal into the crease between her buttocks.  
“Stop…!”, she gasped and threw her arm over the counter, finally catching the attention of the barkeepers. “Help me!”, she whimpered and fought back tears.  
One of the two barkeepers immediately walked up to her.  
He grabbed her hand with his left, while reaching past her with the other hand. He caught the man’s shirt collar and gave a firm tug to the side, almost slamming him into the counter.  
“Keep your hands to yourself”, he commanded lowly.

The crowd moved out of the way, allowing Mihail to get to the girl.  
“Hey, it’s gonna be okay now. I work here”, he assured and pulled her away from the counter gently. She was shaking, tears of gratitude and relief running down her cheeks.  
“Would you like to come with me for a moment, to calm down again?”, he asked and rubbed her back.  
Vickie shook her head and tried to wipe her tears with the back of her wrist.  
“I’m fine”, she stammered and forced a smile.  
Mihail squeezed her shoulder.  
“If you don’t want me to come with you, I can ask my friend Tanya to stay with you?”, he offered, sensing the girl’s discomfort.  
She had just been attacked by a horny man; being alone with another man probably wasn’t the most calming idea for her right now.  
But the suggestion to have a woman look after her was indeed welcome.  
She nodded.  
“Good, I’ll take you to her”, Mihail promised and led Vickie to one of the tables.

Tanya didn’t even need to ask any questions when she saw the girl by Mihail’s side. She excused herself from her companions and walked towards them.  
“Hey”, she said and put her hands on the girl’s arms, “I’m Tanya.”  
“Vickie”, the girl sobbed and bit her trembling lip.  
Tanya put one arm around Vickie’s shoulders, offering to hug her if she wanted her to. Vickie threw her arms around Tanya and pressed her face into Tanya’s shoulder, trying her hardest to keep herself from wailing.  
Tanya held her and gave an assuring nod to Mihail.

He nodded once and walked back towards the counter, where he found the barkeeper still restraining the assailant.  
Mihail took over and pulled the man aside.

It didn’t happen often, notably thanks to the club’s authentic clientèle, but sometimes rowdy newcomers, or frustrated patrons stepped over the line. Often they were drunk and disregarded the club’s general policy of ‘Don’t drink if you plan on playing’, but sometimes men sought easy targets and figured that people in a club like the Thorny Dawn would be up for a quick grope and fuck.

Markus ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

Even he hadn’t been safe, and he knew Luca had experienced a few transgressions as well. Usually some guest just gave a pat on the back – or ass, if they were daring – but never went further.  
Some of the patrons, such as Paul got away with more intimate touches such as hugs, or slaps on the ass and even some play-fighting, but they obviously meant no harm.

Markus vividly remembered though, how one man had waited for him to bring his plate to the table, only to grab and pull him onto his lap, feeling him up front and back.  
His yelp had apparently been loud enough to alert Luca.  
“Mari!”, he had almost yelled, watching his twin from behind the counter with a horrified expression.

Mari didn’t think he needed to be saved. He had only been surprised, caught off guard; he could have defended himself without a problem. Nevertheless he was glad about Mihail’s quick intervention.  
“I think we’d all appreciate it, if you didn’t keep our barkeeper from his work. Also, I don’t think Lucas takes it well if someone lays a hand on whats his”, he had said, looking like a flamboyant, gay comic book hero.

 

Looking back at it, Mari truly was more grateful than he cared to admit that he had been saved by Mihail. He sighed and shook his head; how dramatic it sounded…

He went back to his work, cleaning more chalices and putting away empty bottles. He got stomach cramps when he thought about tomorrow, and the days, weeks after.

Today was the first time he and Luca had a shift again after the whole thing with Sam had happened.  
Yesterday they had found the boy’s mother in a drunk coma, and when the paramedics came to take her to the hospital, they also took Sam.

Of course they could say to themselves now, that it was out of their hands, that they had done their duty to keep the child safe, but they both knew it would never feel right.  
But what else could they do?

The authorities would probably soon demand that they explained why Sam had been at their place at all. Sure, they had done nothing wrong, but that didn’t mean they weren’t worried.

In any case, they couldn’t slack off now.

Mari felt like they were on the verge of something important, a decision or change of sorts, and he wanted Luca and himself to be prepared to face it, whatever it was.

Luca felt the same. He had sensed a change in Mari’s demeanor as he interacted with Sam.  
He knew that Mari hadn’t told him absolutely everything in the past, even though they shared their entire lives with each other. When he first realized, he had felt hurt about it, worrying that Mari would try to withdraw from him, but the opposite happened.  
He began to understand, that whatever it was, the thing that Mari kept from him, he had a good reason to keep it secret.  
He still didn’t like it, but he also knew Mari well enough to know better than to push for an answer.

Maybe, he thought to himself and stole a glance at Mari, he could work it out at last. He had seen Mari’s honest joy whenever Sam smiled or laughed.

After that one night, when Mari pretty much passed out in the hallway, he had been ready to send Sam back the next morning, worrying that this was too much for Mari after all. But also, he had known the truth, that Mari’s condition would be so much worse if he actually sent Sam back home to his mother.  
And when the next morning came and he saw how Sam had snuggled up to Mari, how Mari had cradled him in his sleep, he began to understand.

He had always known that Mari didn’t hate children, even though he often acted like he did.  
He knew that Mari never meant to push Will away, but simply didn’t know how to interact with him in a way that would be right or good for them both.

Seeing Mari bond with Sam felt meaningful in a way, that Luca hadn’t thought of until it happened. Whatever pain Mari had kept secret from him, Sam somehow helped him work it out.

But now… Sam was gone.

Maybe this would be the only thing to remind them of him in the end? This haircut…  
The hairdresser had promised to send them the photograph he had taken of them and Sam. Would that be it?

Would they grow out their hair again and brush aside the memory of one child in need?

Maybe.  
Maybe they would.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this!
> 
> As you noticed, this story is part of two series. I don't think you can fully understand this story unless you read [Secret Ingredient](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13587972)...  
> As for the Thorny Dawn aspect, you don't need to read them.
> 
> I'd still be overjoyed if you did though, of course!


End file.
